Guardian (2018)

Let's face it, this was beyond bromance!

This is yet another Chinese drama where censorship means literally nothing. The chemistry was legit noticeable and didn't feel like bromance whatsoever. This is a real masterpiece. If I had to choose a drama among thousands to have a sequel, this drama would definitely be at the top of the list. This is one of those drama that doesn't need a kissing scene or a bed scene to make you feel and notice the chemistry between the leads. Although the drama and the novel are slightly different, the overall feeling remain the same. This was beyond bromance and I was there for it. Honestly, they both were made for their role and I seriously wouldn't see anyone else playing the part. The story was fairly interesting and there was no boring moment. I have to be honest, the special effects weren't that great and at time quite laughable, but you really shouldn't let this hold you from watching it. If you are like me, the type of person who usually doesn't like to watch a drama that has over twenty episodes, I just want to tell you that there's always some exceptions. Guardian has forty episodes and it truly wasn't enough. You should diffidently give it a try.

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Can't fill 40 episodes with just chemistry of the two leads

What a colossal disappointment. I'm a huge fan of sci-fi and fantasy content, so I was so hyped to start this drama. It took me months to finish because I just had to take a break from this mess. This drama really left me unsatisfied. I don't understand how it could possibly have such amazing reviews. I have already forgotten most of the things that I wanted to mention, but here are some of them:
1. The chemistry of the two male leads is undeniable from the start. Sadly, censorship took a huge toll on this show and not just in the BL department...
2. There's barely any character development. Some characters are written as if they were babies incapable of rational thoughts. Most of them never learn and make the same mistakes throughout the show.
3. There are so many moments that will make the viewer so incredibly confused, especially if you are not familiar with the original material.
4. Characters randomly teleport to their locations in a instant or they take so long that you forget they exist.
5. There are additional voiceovers that they had to do, probably due to the censorship. They kinda ruin the dialogue with the audio changes.
6. The special effects are forgivable, sometimes they were really good, other times they were so awful I could barely watch.
7. I really enjoyed some of the locations that they shot at. Too bad they never really used them properly.
8. I really liked some of the costumes.
9. Random characters are introduced with even more random storylines and backstories society every episode.
10. The cat was so cute, but it was criminally underused.
11. Most of the characters are so useless that they shouldn't be alive. 'Let's just stare at the evil and not do anything' trope is extremely prevalent here.
12. At times, the acting of the supporting cast was so awful it made me laugh in sad moments.
13. I didn't really connect with any of the characters and no episode made me feel sad for any of the characters. Deaths were so laughable.
14. Johnny Bai, Zhu Yi Long and Ocean Jiang carried this show so hard with every episode.
15. The cast was beautiful.

Honestly, I have no idea how I finished this. I suppose it's mostly because I expected to see some development between the two lead characters, but they had so little screen time together.
This could have been great if it was 16 episodes or less because it's mostly filler content. The storylines that should connect only cause more confusion with each added new episode. This is not worth the watch at all.

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Maybe one could say I'm hardly objective after watching this drama twice in a little over one month but on the other hand I do know that even this drama is not perfect.
Don't get me wrong, I really love it but due to Chinese political restrictions the original novel on which this drama is based on couldn't be adapted as one might wish.
Zhen Hun (original title) is a Boys Love novel and includes supernatural elements on a regular basis, two themes that are forbidden and because of that quite delicate in China or directly banned.
With that I wonder why it even was adapted as drama, but I'm glad it was.
While the script needed to rewrite a significant amount of the original storyline it still shows many things you could call "easter eggs" you'll only fully get when you read the novel. Therefore I recommend to watch this drama at least twice. Once before and once after you've read the novel (which is translated to english).

So the story: Of course Boys Love couldn't be shown so the relationship between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan is mostly described as Brotherhood or Soulmates. Still, when you see the actors in their roles it basically screams "love" all over. Nothing explicit is seen but they portray their characters perfectly and I got lost in their mimic as both of them can easily deliver feelings only through their faces or subtle small things like a finger lingering on the other's hand for a while longer than necessary. The supernatural parts were mostly removed so we get to see a bit of ghosts here and there though anything is rarely named as such whatsoever and some CGIs that don't reach the requirements of Hollywood-spoiled eyes but is pretty decent and thankfully spares us badly animated things.

As mentioned the acting is superb. Both main characters are totally convincing and carry the story. But also the support characters and those with smaller roles fit in perfectly and make it whole. In fact many of those that appear as side characters reappear through the drama and I grew quite fond of them. The cast has a great chemistry and I think you can see it in the final product if a cast got along with each other or not.

Before I even watched the drama completely I had to get my fingers on the OST. The soundtrack is fantastic. The drama has an english opening song and each track on the OST is recognizable which is rare in my opinion. I love to listen to this soundtrack and kept it playing all the time when I wasn't watching an episode. It's worth to mention that the main actors Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu contributed a song to the OST that they sang together.

This drama has a high rewatch value for me. There are many things that might not be seen at the first glance and the scenes that they included from the novel will give you more once you've read the novel and know on what details you have to focus. But the first watch is enjoyable too. The drama has comedy, suspense, mystery and more.
I always watched a couple of episodes in a row and spent many long nights as it's hard to stop.

Overall I have nothing to complain on this drama. They made the best out of what they were given to work with and even with the knowledge that there could be more supernatural stuff if it wasn't for the strict policy of the Chinese government I think it's pretty good. The episodes often ended with cliffhangers which could annoy people but that's mostly because the storyline flows through the whole series and cases of the Investigation team are intertwined through episodes. I like this way of storytelling so it's not a negative aspect for me.

I can recommend this drama to everyone who wants to watch a good storyline with loveable characters or is curious in any way. Check it out, it's absolutely worth it. ^.^

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this is the best drama i have ever watched in my entire life

i am literally writing this with tears streaming down my face. i have never wrote a review before but i have to write one for this drama.

where to begin with this absolute masterpiece. the story is flawless and the writing is immaculate. i do not know how anybody could disagree with me, unless they are simply stupid. this is so well written with everything tying in perfectly to create one of the most heart warming and beautiful endings to any drama i have ever seen. i was, to put it simply, brought to tears several times because of the final 2 episodes. although not fully a bl, it is practically a bl because it is just so blatantly obvious that shen wei and zhao yunlan are soulmates. if you are here to watch a bl or anything to do with soulmateism, watch this. if you are here to read one of the most beautiful and moving storylines with supernatural elements, watch this. i cannot begin to describe just how much this story has moved me. finally if you are here for the most amazing well-developed side characters, watch this - you will fall in love with every single one of them deeply.

next, the acting. every single person in this show conveyed their characters in the most perfect way possible. but, both of the mains acting was phenomenal. i can't fault them. they were both amazing and brought out the most heart wrenching performances in their characters. i have been deeply moved by their performances specifically. i must give extra credit to zhu yi long playing both shen wei and ye zun as this is seriously phenomenal.

the ost is extremely well made, beautiful, moving and matches every scene perfectly. i will be listening to it everyday.

ultimately, i will be rewatching this series over and over and over because it has seriously impacted my life and changed me as a person. YOU MUST WATCH THIS DRAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it will change your way of life

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It's one of my top 3 all-time favorite C-dramas!

The cast is amazing. It's like Bai Yu and Zhu Yi Long jumped out of the novel. Find the novel and read the character descriptions - it's uncanny - both their physical appearance and energy is spot on. Their chemistry is YOWZA. Chinese censorship is probably the only thing that kept my heart from exploding from the joy and pain in this relationship. The show would not work without their chemistry even though it's a bromance *cough*. Zhu Yi Long is impressive as Shen Wei. He is basically playing 4 different characters when you consider the maturity of his character and his nemesis. Each character has a distinct presence - his performance is flawless. The music is beautiful - especially the OST at the end of each episode. I don't want to give it a perfect 10 due to the two main issues: censorship and CGI. It could have been better so I shouldn't give it a ten although I truly love it. This show was made with a lot of love and it's that love that rises above its limitations and lets me ignore the flaws. It's the censorship that gets me down. Still, I hope this cast works together one day and a tiny part of me wishes we'd get another shot at this storyline if censorship laws ever changed.

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Watch it for Shen Wei's sleeve garters.

Let me just tell you the most redeeming thing about this drama first- the leads. I only exclusively watch BL or danmei adaptations because, reasons and this is something I would highly recommend.
The story is very very different from the source material which is both good and bad. The priest novel is so complicated especially for people who are not familiar with Chinese mythology. Here they attempted to simplify it but ended up loosing a lot due to sloppy writing.

One of the main characters, Shen Wei is adorable and sweet and very mild mannered while the other, Zhao yunlan is crude, brazen and yet brings in an effortless charm and they are just perfect for each other. A lot toned down obviously but enough present as far as a c-drama is concerned.
The music overall is okay, some might like the OST some might not.

The production value is low and it shows, the cgi, props, set etc are not good. A lot of scenes feel illogical even with its fantacy setting.

The acting is okay-ish, some side character performances were okay while others were just plain cringe. The leads did a pretty decent job especially the actor who played Shen wei.

The thing is despite the negatives the drama is worth watching if you like BLs.

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The bromance is really good in this drama and you can truly see the love between both of the main leads. I really recommend watching this drama, because it caught me already when I watched the first episode (and I usually watch a drama that gets me with the first to five episodes)! The music is just amazing! It fits with every scene and the opening theme is truly my favorite :)
It's totally worth the time and a drama you shouldn't skip! It's just phenomenal!

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okay this is my honest rating and review. first, i did liked the story but not so much ah..such shame there's just so many plot holes. im not sure if it's because of the bans or what. And if you characterize yourself as one of those who are into 'plot development' and values the story most.. i highly suggest to think first before watching this might not be your thing and it's 40 episodes. it'd really consume your precious time . i honestly watched it only because of the friendship bromance (bl) in it but other than that the story was just all over. the novel is interesting as they say (ididnt read it) but for this live action idk if it gave justice to it. Zhan yunlan's actor was a great lead but i find him weak in the story sometimes. i can only appreciate Old Chu's actor. His acting skills is superb almost felt like he really meant every word he acts. he's one that made me kept watching tbh and ofc Shen wei's actor too he's great and cute uwu

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I don't really watch chinese bromance dramas because they can be very frustrating, especially not those I am familiar with the source material of like Beloved Enemy or Advance Bravely . Guardian is somehow different however, although it suffers greatly from the censorship issues due to which the boy's love and magic/supernatural content of the original novel was toned down to bromance and some sort of pseudoscience it is still highly enjoyable due to the great acting and the overall cuteness.

ACTING: 10/10 Perfect in every possible way. The acting is the heart and soul of this drama series, while the script and the production value might not be the greatest, the acting alone is enough fo me to recommend it wholeheartedly. The lead actors are absolutely flawless as Shen Wei and Zhao Yun Lan. They are both familiar with the source material, and did a great job delivering stuble references to the not so bromance nature of their relationship without getting in trouble with the censorship. The supporting characters are also perfection. I really loved the Chu and Guo dynamics,they are absolutely adorable, and they even got their happy ending :)

PLOT: 7/10 It starts off great, then in the second half of the series it starts to go all over the place, mostly due to sensorship. They had to eliminate way to much of the supernatural elements and rewrite the whole background story to remove the risky parts. At the end it kinda makes sense, but there are plotholes and it is very rushed. Tipical sad case of a great story falling victim of censorship, In this case it is also the supernatural part of the story that suffers, since the original novel incorporates daoist and chinese buddhist mythology, actual deities and other mythological creatures, zombies, spirits, ghost, exorcist elements, and the whole battle has a way more cosmological meaning, and on top of it there is the Tibet thing... Obviously none of these could make it to the series.

PRODUCTION QUALITY: 7/10 the CGI is rubbish, and some of the props make you feel like you are watching a stage play, but it adds to the overall cute goofyness so I am not mad at it. They made the most of the resources what they had.

Worth mentioning that the series take place as a side story of the original novel when the main characters get trapped in a time loop, hence the different storyline and ending. This was the author's way of incorporating the series into the novel's universe after not being able to film the original story due to censorship issues.

For those who say it is a sad ending:
If you consider the novel's timeline, the series has a positive ending, finishing the 81rst loop and can go back to their happy ending :)
If you never read the novel and don't plan reading and just assume they died, I still consider it a somewhat positive ending since the whole story is about reincarnation, so they will meet in their next life and can start over again.

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I love this series!!

I love this series and I hope to see season 2 with a real happy ending. With them being together and working together. The story is very good and I love it but my heart is in the hang when I see the ending part in which they both did not have a happy ending. And what about the end part where Zhoa was injected? what happens to that? I really believe that there is more to that story. I hope that you will create a season 2 of this and it will definitely win. Please original cast, main actors and support actors should be there still because they are all great and I love them.

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I have not read the novel, so my reveiw is purely based on show itself.
I came across this drama while trying to find a drama with similar bromance (read: BL) feel as The Untamed. First of all, this is very different to The Untamed; the only similarity I found in them is the chemistry between the main leads and the censored romance aspect. The prodution quality of The Guardian is also no where near TU level so if you are looking for a beautifully shot bromance drama with fantastic CGI and iconic OST, you will be dissapointed.

The best part of this series is the chemistry between the main leads. Zhu Yi Long and Jhonny Bai are phenomenal in their roles; they will make you laugh, gasp and cry. Special kudos to Zhu Yi long for his double acting as 2 completely different characters. I also enjoyed Ocean Jiang's portrayal of the Chu shu Zi. My score of 9 for acting was purely because of these 3 actors.
The OST, was another highlight of the show for me. Opening OST was approriately epic, and the ending theme was used well in cut scenes.

Now for the not so great parts, which unfortunately there was quite a bit of.

The supporting casts' acting ranged from decent but not very memorable to downright cringe inducing at times. Main supporting cast was not too bad, overall they did a decent job (except Ocean Jiang who was fantastic), but ultimately their performance was not very memorable. Majority of minor characters and Dixiang of the week charcters on the other hand was memorable only basue of the cringe induced headaches I got watching them :/

The story itself was nothing special, but it held my interest long enough to finish the series. It had a quite a few plot holes unfortunately, especially towards the end. Again, I haven't read the novel so I don't know if the original story was the same or better.

It is very obvious these guys worked on the tight budget. the most glaring evidence of this was the pretty terrible CGI. To be fair, they made a good call in the begining by minimising their use of CGI and sticking with props, and the Dixiang world looked decent overall. But they really dropped the ball with the weird rainbow time dimension which was just ugh...

Overall, it was a good time. I did lose my interest in the middle, but I am still glad I stuck through to finish it. The show has a lot of shortcomings, but the acting and chemistry of the leads made watchign it worthwhile.

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